Basketball

Ginebra clamps down on defense to snap TNT's streak

Paul Lintag on Apr 23, 2017 09:11 PM

Clamping down on defense, the Gin Kings only allowed TNT to score 28 points in the final 24 minutes on their way to a fourth straight win.

One streak had to end Sunday night and unfortunately for TNT, its five-game run came to an end.

Brgy. Ginebra flipped the switch in the second half, scoring a convincing 107-89 victory over the KaTropa in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Big Dome.

Clamping down on defense, the Gin Kings only allowed TNT to score 28 points in the final 24 minutes on their way to a fourth straight win.

Entering the annual All-Star break, Ginebra now holds a 4-1 record, good for third place behind idle Meralco and San Miguel Beer.

As with the theme so far in this mid-season joust, import Justin Brownlee and LA Tenorio were the ones that landed the telling blows for the Gin Kings.

The potent duo combined for 33 points in the second half, outscoring the entire TNT offense.

Brownlee ended up with a game-high 34 points for Ginebra on top of 15 rebounds and six assists while Tenorio went for 21 and six dimes.

Japeth Aguilar had 16 rebounds, 14 rebounds, and five blocks.

"The first half was really something. That was a special first half. We played as well as we could play in that first half and they played better. They were hitting shots that were unbelievable against our defense," head coach Tim Cone said.

"But in the second half, our defense kinda warmed down a little bit. It's the defensive stand in the third and fourth quarter that really changed the game," he added.

TNT, who dropped to 5-2, 28 points from import Donte Greene and another 20 from Jayson Castro.

However, the KaTropa's depth was ineffective agains the Gin Kings as no other TNT player scored in double figures.